


Keep Breathing For Me

by shopfront



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Community: greys_exchange, F/M, Grief, post-season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-03
Updated: 2010-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-08 16:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shopfront/pseuds/shopfront
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark wants to help Lexie through the aftermath, but he's not quite sure how to go about it. (Post-Season five)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keep Breathing For Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foibles_fables](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=foibles_fables).



Mark throws open the door of his cab and legs it up Meredith's driveway, his heart in his throat and his breath catching, and pounds on the door. It's long past midnight, and he's taken back for a moment when Derek answers the door, looking pale and strained, but he doesn't let it stop him for long.

"Where's Lexie?"

"She's upstairs," Derek says, and rubs a hand over his face wearily. "They're both upstairs."

"You look like shit," Mark offers half-heartedly as he pauses on the bottom stair, but Derek just gives him a funny little half-shrug, as if to say 'get going,' and that he'd be fine - even though the strain of loosing one of their residents on the operating table was written all over his face.

"We only just got back from the hospital. Chief finally kicked us out," Derek replies, and holds out a hand, shaking his head, when Mark makes an abortive move to walk back towards him. "You take care of Lexie, so I can take care of Meredith," he just sighs and then makes a little waving motion.

Mark doesn't need to be told twice. He hurries up the staircase, and then up again, until he reaches Lexie's attic bedroom. But once he gets there he has to pause in the entrance just to look, and pull his heart back inside his chest.

He hadn't heard even the tiniest peep from Meredith's room as he was rushing through the house, and that made sense. He figures Grey - being Grey and all - was probably conked out and staring at a wall, silent in her suffering. But not Lexie. Her body was curled around a giant throw pillow, and from what he could see with her back turned towards him, her whole body was shuddering. Tiny little gasping sobs were escaping her, and Mark could feel himself break for her as he watched her curl in on herself a little tighter each time she made a sound.

She startles when he drops his jacket to the floor with a loud thump, and then crosses the room in three strides and lays a hand on her shoulder, but she was still up and in his arms in a heartbeat.

"I'm sorry," he says, as her tears soak through his shirt, and then he holds her tighter. "I came as soon as they told me. I'm sorry, Lexie," _that I don't know what else to do._

 

*** * * * ***

 

"George was my best friend," she finally says, whispering into his chest so quietly that he nearly misses it. "They knew him longer, and better, but he was everything to me when I first joined the program."

"That why you're not downstairs with Big Grey?" Mark asks, tilting his head to look at her, but Lexie just hiccups and nods, leaning in tighter and molding her body to his, trembling.

"I can't believe he's gone," she says, her voice cracking.

He just tucks her head under his chin and strokes her back, at a complete loss for what to do or say. This isn't something he can laugh off. He's good at laughing and kidding around, and sometimes at making promises, but not this sort of serious stuff. They sit there like that for a long time, tangled up in each other while Lexie's tears slowly grow quieter. Long enough that Mark finally tumbles them both sideways on the bed, and they end up sleeping like that. Lexie with her face buried in his shoulder, and her hair tumbled across him, and Mark still with his shoes on.

 

*** * * * ***

 

Breakfast the next morning is a somber, hungry affair, as all four of them pick at their food and avoid looking at each other. Karev stumbles in early, shepherded by Yang who orders him upstairs for some proper rest and then practically carries Meredith upstairs herself.

"I need to check on Izzie this morning," Derek finally says, and excuses himself, leaving them alone together.

"We should-" Lexie says, and moves to stand, but then her face crumbles and Mark hurries to stop her.

"No, we don't. I already talked to the Chief."

Lexie turns wide, wounded eyes on him, but he keeps talking before she can ask the obvious question.

"I ducked out while you were sleeping, and called the hospital. We both have the day off, so what we should do is go back to bed."

He caresses her shoulder, encouraging her to stay in her chair, and then stacks up all of their mostly untouched plates and carries them to the counter. Then he takes her by the elbow and he helps her up, and steers her into the living room when she still protests against the thought of spending more time in bed

They curl up in the corner of the couch together, Mark around Lexie and his lips against her hair. She starts to speak, and quietly tells him every funny story she never shared because it was kind of weird to tell your new boyfriend all about your last crush, right? He just keeps on pressing kisses along her hairline as she talks, and then he gently bites her earlobe, clears the tears from her cheeks with long, careful presses of his lips, and tangles his fingers in her hair.

Lexie turns into the caresses, clinging to him as she tells him all the things she's going to miss most about George, between kisses. She's breathing hard, her fingers clenching against his neck like she thinks he's going to go somewhere, when she starts to run out of things to say. He doesn't know if it's arousal or grief that makes her pant like that - like she can't breathe - but he simply holds her tighter, and doesn't stop kissing away her tears.

"I don't ever want you to leave, you know that, right?" she pulls back to say, only now she puts her hand across his lips so he can't keep kissing this away. "There are just all these milestones and I don't want to go rushing towards them. But I do want to reach them, with you. When it's right."

Mark nods slowly and examines her face, swollen from crying and twisted with sadness, but still so open and beautiful. "I'm not going anywhere," he says gruffly, even though he's confused. It must show on his face, because Lexie laughs at him a little. He wants to ask what's so funny, but then she's already kissing him instead.

"Take me upstairs," she orders, and he's lost but he hoists her up as ordered, and carries her to the stairs. He can feel her tears against his neck as she wraps her legs around his waist and holds on, but he can feel her smile against his neck as well, and she's still pressing kisses below his jaw.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for foibles_fables for Grey's Exchange.


End file.
